Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Dean usually tried to avoid John’s rage. He didn’t like making him mad. None of the monsters Dean had dealt with made Dean afraid in the way his father did.

Usually, when things went wrong John blamed Dean. Dean was alright with that, even if that meant tending to more wounds than necessary. But, today John actually hit Sam. He hadn’t hit Sam as hard as he would hit Dean, but he hit him hard enough to draw blood. Dean had gone out to grab ice, per his father’s request, and he came back to John screaming in Sam’s face. He was able to calm his dad down but he couldn’t consol Sam. Dean sat with Sam after their father decided to leave Sam alone. It took Sam a bit to admit what had happened. He only admitted it after John left their hotel room.

“Dad hit me,” Sam had admitted softly.

“Why did he hit you?” Dean asks, he keeps his voice down. He wants Sam to know he cares and that he’s not angry at him.

“I said I didn’t want to hunt for the rest of my life.” Sam looks and sounds hurt and confused, and honestly Dean can’t blame him for it.

“And he hit you?” Dean stares at Sam. He feels anger bubbling up in his chest.

“Well, we argued for a minute and… I said something about how mom wouldn’t have wanted us living our lives like this. I’ve never seen dad like that.” Dean hugs Sam.

“It will be okay soon Sam. I promise.” Dean promises. He made Sam dinner and got him layed down.

Dean had Sam layed down and asleep by 10.

“Dean?” John asks. He’s sitting in a chair near the window in their room.

“Yeah dad?” Dean asks cautiously.

“We’re gonna leave tomorrow at 10.” John states. Dean just nods. Dean layed down after their brief conversation. John sat and drank until at least one. Dean knew his dad well enough to know he wouldn’t wake up until his alarm went off, and even when it did go off it was up to Sam and Dean to get their father up.

Dean got out of his bed, checked to ensure their father was sleeping, and started quietly collecting their things. He didn’t have much of a plan, he just had a small idea and hope. Dean grabbed their clothes, and the few other items they had.

“Sammy.” Dean shook Sam softly after he got their things collected.

“Dean…?” Sam looked confused.

“Come on, we have to go.” Dean kept his voice low. He knew the chances of John waking up were slim, but he still didn’t want to risk it.

“Why?” Sam sits up and rubs his eyes. He’s confused, but he trusts his big brother.

“Just… Trust me, okay?” Dean pleads softly. Sam takes a moment but nods and grabs his shoes. Dean snags the keys to the Impala and they leave quietly. Dean throws their things in the backseat and gets into the front. He turns on the Impala and takes off. Dean feels small in the seat that his father typically filled.

“Dean… Where are we going?” Sam’s voice is so quiet compared to everything around them.

Dean stayed silent for a moment. There were several people they could go too, but he didn’t know if he could trust any of them. He doesn’t answer Sam for a while, just driving in silence. He could attempt to get a job and support Sam, but if it is just the pair of them living alone they run the risk of John finding them and taking them back into his care. He runs through a mental list of other hunters, he knew a lot of them well, like Will Barnett or Clarissa Lane, but he knew the chances of them taking in two kids was slim.

After more thinking, Dean decides on Bobby Singer.

“We’re going to Bobby’s.” Dean states.

“Really?” Sam sounds happy.

“Yeah.” Dean smiles back at Sam.

“Lets just hope he takes us in,” Dean thinks to himself as he continues driving. Sam had fallen asleep sometime during the drive, and Dean had to fight back the exhaustion that had found a home in his bones.

After a long, uneventful drive, Dean finally made it to Bobby’s. He pulled into the property before parking and taking a deep breath. It was still early and the sun was only just starting to rise. Dean and Sam hadn’t been to Bobby’s in a while, partially because Bobby and John had a fight and partially because Dean was old enough to care for his brother alone.

Dean gently woke Sam up after taking a few minutes to compose himself.

“Sammy, come on we’re here.” Dean shakes Sam again to wake him up.

Sam grumbles a bit but wakes up. He rubs his eyes and looks at Dean.

“Come on Sammy.” Dean says again. Sam unbuckles and follows Dean to Bobby’s front door. Dean has an internal struggle with himself, debating on whether or not they should even be there. Dean finally decides to knock. There was nothing the first time Dean knocked, so Dean knocked again. This time, Bobby answered the door. It was clear he had just gotten out of bed.

“Do you know wh-” Bobby starts saying as he opens the door. When he sees that it’s Sam and Dean though, he falls silent.

“Hi Bobby!” Sam says happily. He’s energetic for someone who just woke up and Dean is slightly envious of his energy.

“Sorry Bobby… I know it’s early.” Dean says softly, he doesn’t look at Bobby.

“Dean? Sam?” Bobby looks around. “Where's your old man?”

“Passed out in our hotel room,” Sam answers before Dean can.

“What?” Bobby asks as they continue to stand there.

“Can we… Come in?” Dean asks sheepishly. He feels ashamed of himself for bugging Bobby.

Bobby paused for a moment before letting the boys in. Bobby understood something was wrong.

“Hey Sam, how about you head upstairs and try to get some more sleep while I talk to your brother here?” Bobby smiles at Sam.

“Do I have to?” Sam looks kinda sad, but Bobby nods. “Fine.” Sam puffs before listening and heading up to sleep more.

“He’s a good kid,” Bobby says with a small smile. Dean simply nods.

“Alright. Come sit down.” Bobby says, realizing Dean isn’t one for small talk. “I got a pot of coffee brewin, do you want some?”

“Yes please.” Dean nods a bit as he says this.

“How do you take your coffee?” Bobby raises an eyebrow.

Dean hesitates again before answering the question. “Relatively sweet?” He doesn’t know how else to describe how he likes his coffee. Bobby simply nods and walks to the kitchen. Dean follows him.

“I’ll get us some coffee and we can talk on the porch.” Bobby starts getting them both coffee. After he gets their coffee, he hands Dean his and they head out to the porch. They both sit down.

“Alright Dean,” Bobby takes a drink of his coffee. “What’s going on?”

Dean looks down at his feet before taking a drink of his coffee. “Me and Sam ran away.”

“I can see that. Why?” Bobby doesn’t sound upset, just curious if not a little worried.

“Dad hit Sam last night.” Dean tries to make himself seem less upset about the situation, but he is upset. He’s extremely upset, not only because Sam got hurt, but because he failed him. Sam might be okay, but at that moment he wasn’t, and where was Dean? Off getting ice because he was asked too. He knows Sam won’t hold it against him, but he will hold it against himself.

“John hit Sam?” Bobby doesn’t even look surprised.

“Yeah. So I… I grabbed our things and stole the Impala.” Dean says as he takes a drink of his coffee. It’s sweet and warm, and it makes Dean feel a little less terrible about everything going on.

“What’s your plan here, Dean?” Bobby looks over at him.

“I was hoping you could help me with that.” Dean doesn’t look at Bobby.

“Dean…” Bobby’s eyebrows furrow.

“I know, you never wanted kids but… I just need a bit to get on my feet so I can take care of me and Sam. Please Bobby.” Dean hates feeling desperate, but right now he is.

“You’re asking a lot of me, boy.” Bobby looks away. No matter how hard he tried, he could never turn Dean nor Sam away. They weren’t his kids but sometimes he wished they were.

“I know. I’m sorry.” Dean looks away. He hates it but he can feel tears filling his eyes. There's a familiar feeling of disappointment in his chest and he can’t seem to take a full deep breath.

“I’ll let you stay, Dean. I trust you can get on your feet quickly.” Bobby smiles at Dean.

“Really?” Dean looks at Bobby again. His voice comes out choked.

“Sure.” Bobby nods. He wasn’t much for physical affection but he gave Dean a gentle pat on the back. “Now finish your coffee and go try and sleep. I’m sure you're exhausted.”

All Dean can do is look at his knees with tears running down his face. He wasn’t much of a crier, but the exhaustion mixed with stress was really getting to him. He and Bobby sit on the porch for a bit longer before Dean finishes his coffee and heads inside to go to sleep.

Dean slept until almost 3 p.m. that afternoon. When he went downstairs, Bobby and Sam were sitting at the table playing scrabble.

“I think you’re cheating.” Bobby states gruffly.

“Maybe I just know more words than you do.” Sam is smiling. Dean watches them play for a few minutes longer. He only goes to sit down when Sam notices him.

“Dean! You’re up.” Sam motions Dean over. “We’re playing Scrabble.”

“Are you winning?” Dean asks as he sits down.

“He’s cheating is what he is.” Bobby shakes his head. Dean laughs at them both.

They all sit like that for a while, Sam and Bobby playing Scrabble while Dean watches and actually checks some of their words. It’s the most peace Dean has felt in days.

Chapter Text

Dean and Sam had been staying with Bobby for about a week, Dean was busy finding job applications so he could start saving money while Sam was helping Bobby with everything he could. If Dean wasn’t sat at the table filling out applications he was out and about doing errands for Bobby. If Sam wasn’t helping Bobby around the house, he was out and about exploring. After a week of their routine, Bobby sat Dean and Sam down.

“Alright boys,” Bobby looks between them both several times before he begins talking again. “I’m gonna enroll you both in school.”

“How are you going to do that? Don’t you need to be our dad to do that?” Sam asks as he watches Bobby.

“You let me worry about that, alright?” Bobby smiles.

“Wait but Bobby, I need to get a job.” Dean is worried that school will take up too much time and he won’t be able to get him and Sam in a good enough spot financially.

“You can find one for after school or over the weekends, right?” Bobby crosses his arms. Dean sits quietly, not responding for a moment. Eventually though he nods.

That following week, Sam and Dean began going to school. Dean drove him and Sam to school every morning, and then drove him and Sam home after school was out. By the third week of Sam and Dean staying with Bobby Dean had found an after school job. He had begun working at a smaller store near Bobby’s. This meant Dean stopped driving Sam home and instead Dean drove to his job and Sam walked home.

Today was no different than the past month. Dean woke up, woke Sam up, got ready, made food, then drove Sam and himself to school.

Bobby was at home when he heard a knock on the door. He got up and went to see who it was. When he saw it was John he let out a sigh and fought the urge to ignore the man on his doorstep. He opened the door and looked at John confused.

“John?”

“Where are my kids Bobby?” John was clearly pissed and most likely hung over, meaning he was going to be difficult to deal with.

“Excuse me?” Bobby looks at John confused. “Why would I know where your kids are?” He knows he shouldn’t lie to John, but he can’t have him knowing the boys are actually with him.

“Don’t play stupid.” John raises his voice.

As Bobby talks, he shakes his head. “John, I haven’t seen your boys since you told me I’d never see them again.”

Bobby and John go back and fourth about the matter. John is dead set on believing Bobby is hiding his kids, and Bobby is dead set on trying to convince him he hasn’t seen the kids in forever. After a while of arguing Bobby gets sick of it.

“Do you think I would be here right now if I had your kids John?” He shouts. “Honestly, if I were to kidnap your children, do you really think I would bring them to the first place you’d check?”

That seems to make something click in John’s head. He falls silent before sighing. “I guess not.”

“Now get off my property.” Bobby really doesn’t know why he entertained the argument for so long. He just knows that John needs to leave.

John keeps standing there for a moment before deciding to leave. He leaves the property slowly, like he’s trying to lengthen his unwelcome stay as much as he can.

Bobby watches as John leaves. When John is finally out of sight Bobby goes back into the house and sighs. He’s thinking to himself as he sits there in his living room type space.

“Maybe keeping these kids is more trouble than their worth.” He mutters to himself. He lets the thought fall away though as he begins answering calls from hunters either needing advice or needed a cover up.

When Sam comes home, he goes through their typical routine. They both do what ever chores around the house or around the property and talk about Sam’s day, then they hang out for a bit waiting for Dean.

When Dean gets home, they make dinner and talk about his day. Bobby couldn’t help but smile as Dean and Sam talked to him about their accomplishments, and his previous thoughts of them not being worth it have gone out the window.

Chapter Text

After the first year of living with Bobby, Dean and Sam had adjusted well. Dean was enjoying his job, Sam was doing well in school, and Bobby was enjoying the company. Bobby was almost always at home, when he wasn’t home he wasn’t ever gone long. Dean and Sam had grown accustomed to having someone in the house to help them.

Dean and Sam were both doing good in school. Dean no longer needed to ignore his homework to help Sam since Bobby was there.

Today was just like every other day the past year. Sam came home from school and Dean went to work.

When Sam got home he got busy doing his homework. Despite normally having homework for at least three or four of his classes Sam only had homework for one class, pre algebra. Sam was okay at math, but it definitely wasn’t his favorite subject.

Dean was busy restocking shelves that day. It was definitely his least favorite activity at the store. He would have preferred doing any other type of work, maybe something technical or something less tedious.

Dean left work at 6:00 P.M. but decided to drive around for a while. Normally after work he would head straight home, but tonight he just wanted to sit in the car and listen to music for a while. Deam got home at about 7:00 P.M. despite typically making it home at about 5:00 P.M. When he got home, Bobby had already turned in for the night. Sam was sitting on the couch reading a book.

“Hey Sammy.” Dean yawned as he walked into the living room and sat down near Sam. “How was your day?” He asked.

“It was fine,” Sam sat his book down. “How come you’re home late?”

“Got busy cleaning up around the store.” Dean stretches.

“Oh.” Sam nods.

“Yeah. Anyways, what are you reading?” Dean lays his head back against the couch.

“It’s called the Hobbit.” Sam shows Dean the cover.

“Is it any good?” Dean takes a closer look at the cover.

“I think so, yeah.” Sam smiles.

“That’s good.” Dean smiles back at Sam.

“Anyways Sam, I’m gonna head to bed for the night.” Dean states as he gets up from the couch.

“Wait, Dean, I had a question.” Sam looks away from him.

“Ask away Sam.” Dean watches him close.

“Do you think that maybe me and you can start going to church?” The words came out of Sam’s mouth so quickly they got jumbled together. Dean still understood it all though.

“Why would you want to do that?” Dean feels a bitter taste in the back of his throat. He knows Sam didn’t ask to upset Dean, but for some reason it does. Dean’s voice comes out harsher and a bit louder than he had meant it to.

“Well kids at school did it and I know mom was kind of religious…” Sam’s voice is barely above a whisper.

Dean takes a minute to compose himself. Their mother had been religious, she had prayed every day and told Dean angels were watching over them. He just wondered where those angels were the day she died.

“I just want to be closer to mom.” Sam adds on to break the silence. Dean falling silent made Sam nervous.

“Is this something you really want to do?” Dean’s tone softens at Sam’s soft admission.

“It is.” Sam responds quickly.

“And it’s something you want me to do with you?” Dean crosses his arms.

“If you would…” Sam looks down at the ground.

Dean doesn’t respond immediately, instead he thinks through everything. He runs through a quick list of the pros. Dean and Sam would spend more time together, they would be closer to their mother, they would have something to do on Sundays and Sam would be getting at least one thing he wants. There's four major pros, and Dean can only think of one con. If they go to church, he’ll have to think about their mother and the God that failed to save her.

“I guess since this is something you want, we can go.” Dean smiles at Sam as he lets his arms fall to his sides. He knows he cannot keep living in the past and that he must start living in the future, no matter how much it stings.

“Really?” Sam looks up at Dean, his expression bright.

“Of course Sammy.” Dean smiles back at him, he’ll go to church if it makes Sam happy.

Chapter Text

Two years after Dean and Sam moved in with Bobby, Dean graduated and left home. Bobby and Sam were happy, Dean had found something to look forward to and he enjoyed it. He began going to a fire academy so he could fulfill his dream of becoming a firefighter. He found an apartment in Kansas and was finally content with his life. 

Four years after Dean left Sam was also getting ready to leave. It was the week of Sam’s high school graduation. The days leading up to graduation day were boring, sure he was happy he was going to graduate and be able to move on with his life, but Dean had informed him he wouldn’t be able to show up for the graduation. Sam tried not to seem unhappy, but as the days passed and Sam just got sadder. He didn’t think it would be this sad to not have his brother at his graduation, but it stung. The week passed by quickly, and suddenly graduation day came. It was held in the Sioux Falls Arena, a spot where most graduations took place. 

The day of graduation was slow. Sam got up early and went to the Sioux Falls Arena. They did some before graduation preparation, and eventually they got everyone to sit down. The ceremony was relatively boring. The ceremony started off with a big speech from Ms. Davis, the principal. She spoke about how proud she was of this year's graduates, and honestly Sam tuned her out a few minutes after she began her speech. When she concluded her speech one of the English teachers, Mr. Holt gave a speech. Sam didn’t listen to any of his speech. He was too busy staring off into the crowd trying to find Bobby. He wasn’t able to find him. They concluded the long speeches with a final speech from the graduating class president, Azor Sterling. 

When Azor began talking, Sam tuned in. Azor was one of Sam’s closest friends and Sam had actually helped them with their speech. 

“Good afternoon graduates,” they started the speech with a big smile on their face. “I’m sure you’re all tired, I can say for certain I am, so I will try and make this as quick and painless as possible.” They paused to take a deep breath. “The past four years have been difficult, for everyone and I want to start this off by thanking every person who made things easier.” 

Sam could tell Azor was nervous, they were fidgeting with the mic as much as they could without someone noticing. 

“Thank you to the custodial staff for always keeping the school clean. It seems like a small task in the moment but in the end, working and spending so much time in a clean environment really helps make everything a bit easier. I want to thank all the teachers for dealing with us all. Despite all the trouble we’ve caused throughout the years you all did your best to get through it and teach us.” Azor went quiet for a moment as they looked at the crowd of graduating seniors. 

“And last, but not least, I want to thank the seniors. When I first moved here and began high school I assumed I would just fade into the background of the class, but instead you all ensured I knew I was welcome. Every student in this class had a special part to play in the class’s success. Cody, you ran all the study sessions for Science…” They went down the line of how every student played a part in the classes success. Their speech was by far the longest, but since it was given by another student it was the most heartfelt speech. When Azor finished their speech, they took their seat. 

The last part of the ceremony was calling people up to get their diplomas. They called everyone up by their last names. While Sam waited for his name to be called he looked into the crowd. He finally found Bobby, but to his dismay Dean was not right next to him. He looked away, no longer wanting to try and search the crowd. He knew he would just be more disappointed. 

After a long list of other students being called, Sam’s name was called. He made his way up to the stage to collect his diploma, when he did get his diploma he shook the hands of Ms. Davis and Mr. Holt. When he finished, he walked back to his seat. 

The rest of the ceremony commenced and the students were released to find their families. Sam slowly went to find Bobby. He pushed his way through the crowd and found him standing with Azor and their older brother, Sylvester. 

“There he is!” Azor had a big grin on their face. 

“I was hoping to get away before you guys found me.” Sam joked as he joined the three of them. 

“Congratulations, Sam.” Sylvester stated as he handed Sam a card. 

“How do you feel Sam? You’re an adult now.” Bobby was grinning. It made the empty feeling in Sam’s chest fade for a bit. 

“I’m feeling exhausted." Sam sighs. 

“Tell me about it.” Azor gently punches Sam in his shoulder. 

“Alright, I’m gonna go find Maria and her family.” Sylvester hugged Azor before walking away. 

“Who’s Maria?” Sam looked at Azor confused. 

“It’s David’s older sister. Remember?” Azor looks back at Sam. 

“I barely remember the names of our classmates, why would I remember one of our classmates' siblings?” 

Azor lets out a small laugh. “Alright, I’m gonna go find my brother.” Azor separates from the group, Sam watches as they disappear into the crowd. 

Sam turns his attention back to Bobby. “How’d you like the ceremony?” 

“It was fine, way too long for my taste.” Bobby laughs softly. “The things I endure for you boys. Anyways, what are you going to do now that you can’t say school takes up all your time?” 

Just as Sam is about to answer he feels someone tap his shoulder. He turns around. 

“Heya long legs.” Dean’s got his arms crossed now. Sam is too stunned to actually say anything. He just looks over at Bobby. Bobby looks back at Sam but continues to stand there quietly. Dean lets Sam take the time to process. 

“You came? I thought you couldn’t!” Sam turns back to look at Dean. He no longer feels as terrible about the ceremony as he did.  

“Did I say I couldn’t come?” Dean inquires with a big grin. 

Sam nods his head quickly. “Yeah, you said you wouldn’t be able to!” 

Dean shrugs as he responds. “I guess I lied.” 

“Were you here this whole time?” Sam can feel himself getting a bit emotional. 

“Yeah I was.” 

“Why weren’t you sitting with Bobby?” Sam looks back at Bobby for a moment. 

“This was a surprise for both of you. Bobby didn’t know I was coming.” Dean looks at Bobby. “Sorry Bobby.” 

Bobby just shakes his head with a smile. “Can we get out of here and head home now?” 

“Please,” Dean says with a stretch and a forced yawn. 

“Absolutly. Can I ride with Dean?” Sam turns to face Bobby fully. 

“Of course. I’ll meet you both at home.” Bobby only stands with them for a moment longer before separating and going through the crowd to the exit. 

“Alright, what do you say we go get some gas for Baby then we head home?” Dean’s got his arms crossed again. 

“Sounds good to me.” Sam doesn’t care what they do, he’s just happy Dean came to see them. 

Dean leads the way to the Impala and they both get in. Sam shuts his door and glances over to see Dean has his seatbelt on. 

“Are you,” Sam pauses for a second as he looks at Dean, “are you wearing your seatbelt?” 

“Of course I am.” Dean looks back at him confused. “I have since I moved. You better wear yours too.” 

Sam nods as he buckles his seatbelt. “I just didn’t realize that was something you knew how to do…” Sam jokes. 

Dean just rolls his eyes. “Do you wanna walk home?” Dean looks over at him as he starts the Impala. 

“Absolutly not.” Sam shakes his head. 

“That’s what I thought.” He puts the Impala in drive and drives to go get gas. After they get gas they head to Bobby’s. When they get there they park and get out before heading inside. Dean grabs his bag and then follows Sam inside. Bobby was sitting in the kitchen waiting for them both. 

“Hey there boys.” Bobby smiles at them. 

“Hi Bobby.” Dean and Sam say in sync. Dean looks at Sam, faking disgust. 

“Why did you just copy me?” They ask at the same time causing them both to burst out laughing. 

Dean shakes his head as he laughs, eventually he takes a seat near Bobby. 

“Alright, alright. I came home with gifts.” Dean pulls stuff out of his bag. He pulls out an envelope and a fancy bottle of rum. “Bobby, I got you a bottle of rum. I got it legally, I swear.” Dean hands Bobby the bottle. While Dean gives Bobby his gift, Sam sits down with them. 

“You know me so well Dean.” Bobby takes the bottle and sets it down. He’s smiling. 

“And Sam, your gift is in the envelope.” Dean hands the envelope over. It’s nothing special, just a plain white envelope with Sam written neatly on the front. 

Sam opens the envelope. It’s a folded piece of paper. Sam unfolds it and begins reading. 

It says, “Sam. You’re finally an adult, meaning I can no longer boss you around. This also means some other things. You’re all grown up now Sammy. Even though you had a rough start to life, you have grown into an amazing person. You’ve become such a great person and I am so deeply proud of you. This letter is something to remind you I will always be in your corner no matter what happens. I won’t make this too long, but I want you to know you’re amazing. I know you’re going to do great in life.” 

Sam finishes the note and looks at Dean. He’s about to speak, but Dean beats him to it. 

“Look at the back.” Dean still has a small smile on his face. 

Sam does as told and is met with more writing. 

“I know you’re smart and you’re probably gonna go off to college, so I started saving to help cover some of it. It isn’t much, but when we first moved in permanently with Bobby I poured most of my pay checks into a bank account. Right before I moved out it had almost $10,000 in it. Once I paid off what I owed for going to school I started putting money in it again. Right now there should be $20,000 in the account I made for you. I don’t care what you do with the money, just be smart and do what makes you happy.” 

Sam stares down at the bank information for a while. “Dean, you…” Sam looks at Dean, unable to form any words. 

“I am the best, I know, I know.” Dean jokes with a soft look to his face. 

“You did this for me?” Sam is getting emotional again.

“Of course I did Sammy.” Dean watches Sam. 

Sam feels tears filling his eyes. “Really?” 

Dean doesn’t respond, he just nods his head. Bobby is just watching the pair with a small smile and a proud look on his face. 

“You did apply for colleges, right?” Dean stands up. 

“Yeah… I got some letters back, but I was scared to open them.” Sam responds as he wipes his eyes. 

“Seems like you got to open them now.” Bobby says as he gets up and puts the Rum away. 

“I’ll go get them I guess…” Sam is suddenly nervous. He goes and grabs the letters before coming back to the kitchen. Bobby and Dean are laughing together. 

“I’m glad you came home for a bit Dean.” Bobby pats Dean’s back. 

“I am too Bobby.” Dean notices Sam. “Ah there he is. Alright come on, sit down and open those letters collage boy.” 

“Aren’t you also a collage boy?” Sam asks as he sits down. 

“Fire academy boy, don’t get it twisted.” Dean corrects. 

“Whatever you say…” Sam takes a deep breath. “Should I open them from my top picks to my back up picks, or from my backup picks to my top picks?” 

“Top picks to bottom picks.” Dean looks over at Bobby. 

“I have to agree with Dean.” Bobby crosses his arms. 

“Alright…” Sam grabs his first pick, Stanford, and slowly opens the envelope. He reads through it, trying to rip off the bandaid as quickly as he can. 

“Sam Winchester, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted…” 

“No way.” Sam says after he reads it. 

“What? Was that a good no way or a bad no way?” Dean sounds a bit worried. 

“I got accepted!” Sam says shocked. Today had been full of surprises. 

“Really?” Dean sounds excited. 

“I’m not surprised, but I am proud of you Sam.” Bobby smiles at him. 

Sam looks up and stares between his two biggest supporters. They're both smiling at Sam, both of them clearly proud of him. Sam couldn’t ask for anything better.